Grace to you from the Mystery in whom we live and breathe and have our being. The disciples ask Jesus how to pray.
When you pray, say:
Father may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.
ask, it will be given
And he said to them, suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.” And he answers from within, “Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.” I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
“So, I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receivers, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will you give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will they give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Allow me to share with you my personal bias concerning the scriptures the liturgical calendar suggests are the texts to choose from for this coming Sunday’s sermons.
Preachers can choose from Hosea 1:2-10. A story about a prophet who is commanded by God to marry a “whore.” This term evidently was OK with God and so was his command to Hosea. Because, as you know, the Bible are the words of God. Inerrant, culturally unbiased, and like Mary Poppins perfect in every way.
In this story, God is angry at Israel for messing around with other gods and uses the birth of Hosea’s children to send mixed messages to Israel including, growing their numbers, calling them children of the living God but, also declaring to them, “You are not my people” and “you will not be shown mercy!”
Or a preacher might choose Genesis 10:20-32 where Abraham barters with God on the number of righteous citizens there must be residing in the city, to prevent Gods wrath from destroying the whole place. Spoiler alert. There are none and they all die.
A minister might choose Psalm 85 where the Psalmist fears poverty and God’s anger, so he pleads for mercy. When God shows him mercy, he begins preaching the prosperity gospel! What a twist! There’s another beautiful passage about a transactional God.
just pray
Then, we are given the gospel offering in Luke 11:1-13 where the disciples ask Jesus how to pray. Let’s go there.
Prior to this conversation between the disciples and Jesus, Jesus would often be alone from the disciples for solitude and prayer. The disciples watched his practice.
When Jesus was about to feed five thousand hungry people, he held the five loaves in his hands and prayed a prayer of gratitude. The disciples watched.
When he prayed for others who were healed, Jesus never said, “let’s gather a lot of people over here to pray, lets overpower God with numbers! Join hands! Maybe sway a little.”
Jesus prayed. His disciples watched.
The disciples would have been very familiar with the prayers of the Torah and the other Jewish prayers of that time. So why were they asking Jesus how to pray?
What did they see different in the prayers of Jesus?
What were the disciples truly asking Jesus to teach them?
how do you experience god
They might have asked, “Jesus, how do you experience God? What went on when you’d go away to a solitary place?” How can we address the one you have called Father in a more intimate way, a tender and more powerful way? Jesus, can we have the same access to the relationship you have?
I doubt the prayer Jesus taught the disciples was intended to be a verbatim ritualistic prayer.
When I was a boy, it was understood that you never begin eating until you pray. This wasn’t just my family of origin, it was an expectation throughout our extended church-going family.
If I were eating alone and mom or nano were in the kitchen, the question would come. Did you pray? I’d stop eating, bow my head, and silently let a few seconds tick off while I held my chewing. I never said amen, I announced, “done!” and I would continue eating.
I’d always wonder what God made of the unblessed food in my mouth.
It’s hard to ignore the thread in these stories that unsettles us.
Be afraid! Be very afraid of God because he is distant, easily angered, punishes severely, is unsafe, inconsistent and can’t be negotiated with. And if God must, God will compromise his values and change the rules to teach us a lesson. Even if these events did not take place, God evidently told the writers to put it in the perfect, inerrant, historically accurate, culturally neutral Holy Bible and say it did. It’s for our own good! And don’t forget to give the manuscript to Angel Productions cause people are really digging faith-based movies and streaming shows like the “The Chosen”. Jesus is so dreamy! (Relax! I enjoy The Chosen also).
connect with god as father
The disciples are beyond watching Jesus. They want the profound experience they see Jesus having with the Divine. Watching Jesus connect with God as Father and lovingly engage the world around him fed their desire for connection.
Jesus drew the disciples into an intimate relationship with himself. His followers were drawn by what they saw drew the heart of Jesus.
The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray like John the Baptist taught them. John taught the disciples to prepare for a kingdom where God is King. Jesus taught the disciples how to live in God’s Kingdom now.
All the ancient and modern stories reveal to us how people relate to God. Perhaps even more than how God relates to them.
As a boy the message concerning the Bible was clear. Obey God. As an adult it is more nuanced. As an adult the messages inspire questions that deepen my engagement with God. How do I listen to God? How do I recognize the difference between my way and God’s way?
It seems to me that all these passages reflect an invitation to seek and love everything we’ve got. That the seeking alone guarantees doors will be opened to deeper intimacy with God. Keep knocking Jesus says. Keep asking. Stay hungry and thirsty for righteousness’ sake to clear the paths of wondrous, imaginative revelation rather than to prevent punishment.
The Old testament writers said whatever it takes to put you on God’s side, do it or ruin the whole of God’s plan. Jesus said whatever it takes to put you in relationship with God, I’ve done.
When we become mindful and intentional with our breath, this is prayer. This is why we can do it without ceasing as it says to do in 1 Thessalonians 1:13.
my father is your father
Jesus is teaching the disciples to say, “Our Father” not “My Father.” Jesus is saying my Father is your father. Our Father. We all have the breath of God.
May we form words of gratitude, forgiveness, sustenance, relationship and respect for what is majestic and beyond our comprehension from our very breath. From the depth and rootedness of all that sustains us forever. All this is contained in how Jesus taught us to pray.
Jesus never answered his disciples’ questions by saying, “wait till your Father gets home.” Jesus was saying welcome to the home of Our Father.
Amen
Wednesday Respite is a 30-min contemplative service of scripture, prayer, music and a Spirited Touchpoint by Henry Rojas, spiritual director at Spirit in the Desert.
Touchpoint is a reflection on where God’s story touches our life story. It is a short homily based on a biblical story of people in the Old and New Testaments and their relationship with God. Our spiritual ancestors’ experience of God’s grace connects with our lives in the present and our relationship with the Divine. Previous Touchpoints are available as PDFs or on SoundCloud.
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